With the super busy lifestyle that everybody is gravitating to, there is less and less time for everything, including cooking and eating. Thus, more and more processed foods are finding their way into our refrigerators, as they can just be picked up and eaten anytime hunger pangs are felt. And, we do not immediately realize that processed foods are devoid of all the essential ingredients. What we end up eating has less fiber, more salt, and more preservatives (generally not very safe for all), all leading to an unhealthy lifestyle.

Refined flour, white sugar, cheese, canned juices, frozen foods, cheese laden pizzas and breadsare all yummy, but not something that is readily accepted and digested by your stomach. Try eating pizza with loads of cheese for two days and experience the bloated feeling for yourself. Not to scare you, but imagine this; you would have to eat an entire medium pizza to get 2 g of fiber. Where as, your body requires about 25 to 40 g of fiber per day for regular health maintenance.

Biologically, our digestive system requires a lot of fiber, which adds to the roughage. This is very important as it helps in digestion and aid in cleansing the bowel later. The function of the large intestine is to remove water and essential ingredients when food passes through it. Junk food passes through quite quickly, thereby, leading to loss of water and ingredients. A lot of digestive issues are also related to lack of fiber in the food, like polyps, colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, high cholesterol, and obesity. 

Most of us are aware, but tend to ignore the fact that junk food is as the name suggests, junk. There is hardly anything of nutritious value in it. On the contrary, it contains lots of salt, fat and artificial chemicals, which though, make it very tasty, but has zero nutrition value. 

Try to eat only junk food for about a week regularly, and you will surely feel:

1. Bloated (a lot of gas due to indigestion)
2. Dehydrated (excessive salt needs more water, which we don't realize)
3. Constipated (lack of fiber leading to reduced bowel movement)
4. Weak and lousy (due to lack of nutrition)

This of course does not include the harmful effects on skin, hair, looks, etc. It does not mean you have to stop eating junk completely and eat only healthy food all the time. The human body is adaptive and can adjust to a lot of variations. It is not wise to try the example above (eating pizza for a week), however, binging on junk food once a week would definitely not hurt. Use your discretion as nobody knows your body as well as you do.

Constipation and Junk Food

Constipation features the passage of hard and dry bowel movements in small amounts. The rate is usually lesser than three times during a week. Bowel movement becomes difficult and causes pain in people with constipation. The affected person may feel uncomfortable, sluggish and bloated. Homeopathic medicines are widely used to cure constipation. As they are purely natural, they provide effective treatment without the use of any chemicals.

Here is a list of common homeopathic medicines used for treatment of constipation, along with symptoms:

Nux Vomica: This is an ideal homeopathic medicine taken in case of frequent constipation and ineffectual urging for passage of stool. In such cases, the amount of stool passed is quite scanty and an incomplete evacuation feeling is experienced. This urge keeps on rising. This medicine is also used to treat piles, which develops in association with constipation at times.
Alumina: Alumina is an ideal homeopathic remedy for constipation that features the absence of the urge for bowel movement. The symptoms based on which this medicine is used are totally the opposite of the symptoms where nux vomica is used. The affected person loses desire to pass stool for a number of days and a large accumulation gathers in the intestine. The intestines become inactive and sluggish. A lot of effort has to be given to bring the stool out. This medicine is ideally used in case of constipation in infants.
Bryonia Alba: This form of homeopathy is used in cases of constipation where the stool is very hard, dry and extremely large. The mucous membranes become very dry. The abdomen may seem sore to touch. The affected person develops increased thirst and feels dry in the mouth and lips.
Opium: This homeopathic medicine is used when stool is passed in the form of round, hard balls along with feeling of constipation. The stool appears to be like black balls of sheep dung. The stool gathers in the intestine for a long period of time. The abdomen becomes hard and bloated. Opium also treats constipation occurring due to enema abuse.
Silicea: Silicea is used in cases where constipation occurs with constricted anal sphincter. Stool recedes back from the rectum due to the spasmodic constriction of the anal sphincter and remains in the rectum for a long time period. There is a presence of obstructed flatus, the abdomen feels very tight, hard or bloated. Silicia is helpful for women who have constipation during their menstrual phases.
Homeopathic medicines are very effective for the treatment of constipation. The underlying causes and the symptoms are both treated, with no side effects using homeopathy.

Constipation - 5 Homeopathic Remedies For It!

Constipation usually refers to the troublesome bowel movement. It is normally referred to a condition where you defecate less than normal. Most people usually experience this at some point, yet it is not considered very serious unless it becomes a persistent problem. Instead of immediately turning to some medicine or laxative, (which usually worsens the issue) attempt some basic home solutions to get rid of your inconvenience, and prevent it from returning. Some of the most effective home remedies to get relief from constipation are:


Oil: Start your day by taking 1 tablespoon of olive oil. It works best when you have an empty stomach, so have it before you eat anything else. In case that you forget, wait until later when you have not eaten for some time. You can blend it with a bit of lemon juice. 
Lemon juice: The citrus extract in lemon juice acts as a stimulant for your digestive system and can flush out toxins and undigested material that may have developed along the walls of the intestine. Avoid blending the juice with water, as this may dilute the effect of the former. 
Caffeine: Caffeine is a natural solution for the digestive system. One or two cups are fine, however, ensure you do not try too hard. Consuming a lot can have the reverse impact. Coffee is a diuretic and makes you urinate more frequently and as often as possible. Yet, it can have a negative impact too. In case that you drink it in excess, it can bring about blockage by dehydrating the body and drawing out water that would otherwise soften your stool for easy passage. 
Fiber: Natural foods have a tendency to contain a huge amount of fiber. To put it plainly, fiber is a material that cannot be processed and it acts like a sponge. It draws water from its environment, making it swell, which makes the stool soft and adds bulk and mass to it, which helps it pass normally. 
Aloe Vera: It is best to use aloe vera gel straight from the plant itself. The gel straight from the plant is more concentrated than processed aloe juice so do not use more than 2 tablespoons. In case that you do not have an aloe plant, then drinking aloe juice can accomplish similar results. 
Baking soda: Baking soda lies at the heart of home cures. It is so flexible, and it practically does its work 95% of the time, as per many medical studies. It works well for constipation (and abdominal pain as a rule) since it is a bicarbonate. It will urge air to leave you somehow and calm pain from the pressure. It additionally re-alkalizes the stomach, killing the acid to some degree and helping waste pass through your gut.

Ayurvedic Remedies to Help You Get Relief from Constipation

Constipation is something which not everyone is very open to talking. Everyone tries to avoid the topic as much as possible. They are happier discussing their sore throat or maybe a headache. Everyone likes to keep constipation to themselves. So here are some home remedies that can be used to help solve the problem of constipation.

Olive Oil
Just take one tablespoon of olive oil before eating anything else helps to solve the problem as it works best on an empty stomach. So in case, anyone forgets it, they can have it again once they have not eaten for a while. Mixing it will lemon juice is an option (not mandatory) as it helps lighten the flavour.

Fresh Lemon Juice
Drinking one cup of warm water with a lemon squeezed into it is a good way to get rid of constipation problems. It contains citric acid. It helps in removing the toxins and undigested materials. Once mixing it with warm water reduces the lemon flavour and also provides fluids to make sure things return to the way they should be. A doctor would also recommend the same thing.

Coffee
Well if the coffee was a solution, then most of the people would happily be sipping coffee throughout the day. However, overdoing anything is not okay. 1-2 cups of coffee are fine as coffee is diuretic or in simple terms, it increases the frequency at which a person will urinate. But more coffee does the complete opposite thing. As a result, even the water which was supposed to soften the stool ends being drawn out by excess coffee.

Baking Soda
When it comes to home remedies, baking soda is one of the best solutions. It is the cure to many problems. It s an incredible solution to constipation. Baking soda is a bicarbonate which means it will ensure that air comes out of the body one way or another, thus, relieving the pain from pressure. Just mix baking soda with a 1/4th cup of warm water, and it is ready to go. It works better if the concerned person can drink it as fast as he can.

Conclusion
Keeping all home remedies aside, it s crucial to consult a medical practitioner as the home remedies can only help us to a certain extent. Thus we mustn't depend on them completely. A medical practitioner, on the other hand, would be able to guide the patient in a proper and better way. So a timely visit never harms in any way.

Ayurvedic Herbs/Oil--

Seasamum Till for Kaf-vataj
Almond oil for Vat-prikriti
Kalaungi oil for DM and neurological rediculopathies caused by DM

Constipation - Home Remedies At Your Rescue!

An essential prerequisite for good health is having regular bowel movements. People all over the world have a misconception about the regularity of bowel movements. Having bowel movements three times a day or three times a week (if that is the routine) is considered regular. Irregularity in bowel movements can often lead to constipation and it is something that should never be ignored. It not only affects our health but also affect our overall being in ways that are unexpected. Let us take a look at some of these unexpected side effects of not pooping regularly:

Constipation can trigger headaches: The cause for a headache can be many things, but the first likely reason is stress. When you do not poop properly, the pain, inconvenience and worry will build up, leading to mental stress. This anxiety can trigger headaches. Also, headache can occur because of dehydration, which is often a result of constipation. By drinking more water, you can get a relief from both constipation and headaches. Moreover, the buildup of toxins in the body also causes a headache. regular is a key channel that releases all the toxins from the body and when that does not work, it is bound to cause problems.
It can cause breakouts: What happens in and out the gut shows up on the skin. Skin conditions like acne, pimple, dark circles and even rashes can occur due to internal gut and digestive issues. When the toxins are not eliminated regularly from the body, they tend to accumulate over time leading to major skin breakouts.
It carries a risk of anal fissures: Due to hardened stool, there is not enough lubrication and this can lead to a tear of the skin. This is called an anal fissure and the prime symptom of this condition is the presence of blood in your stool. So, if you feel pain or see blood while pooping, you need to contact your healthcare provider and relieve your condition.
It may cause Diverticula or Heamerhoids: Long term constipation can lead to certain ailments which tend to form because of the pressure of straining to pass your poop. You can be affected with diverticula which result in bulges or pouches on the lining of the colon area. Or it can also cause a strain in the veins along the rectum and lead to
Hemorrhoids.
It affects your Bladder control: The colon and the bladder share a close relationship with each other. If there is too much pressure on the bladder because of a full colon, it can lead to decreased control of the bladder. Your bladder will not fill all the way, empty badly or cause unexpected leakages. So, chronic constipation can cause apparent leakage problems too.
It can make you lose appetite: Eating food can be a major turn off for people with constipation. Appetite loss is not just an enjoyable form of hunger suppression, but a big inconvenience.

Not Pooping Regularly - Ways It Will Affect Your Body!

Many children are affected by constipation; for them, it usually implies pain while passing stool as the stools tend to be hard. In some cases, parents often tend to confuse soiling as diarrhea when it may actually indicate symptoms of impacted constipation (obstruction of faeces). In order to prevent constipation from turning into a chronic problem, make sure your child receives proper treatment at the earliest.

Symptoms of constipation
Constipation in children can be characterized by its symptoms which are:
1. Your child will experience difficulty in passing stools
2. He/she may also experience pain during the process; trace amounts of blood may be present on the nappy.
3. The stool tends to be large in size and hard by nature
4. The child may not have normal bowel habits; he may pass stools less than the normal number of times.
5. Loss of appetite
6. He/she may experience intense pain in the stomach
7. This condition may cause sudden changes in behavior; your child may become irritated or unhappy very easily.
8. He/ she may experience nausea
9. The child may also often soil his/her clothes by passing feces at irregular intervals

Causes of constipation in children
Constipation in children may be caused due to a number of factors, which are:
1. Withholding of stool: In some cases, your child may try to forcefully hold back bowels every time he/she may want to go to the toilet. This may happen due to reasons such as lack of toilet training or not wanting to use toilets at certain places.

2. Diet: A diet devoid of fiber may be the cause behind your child's constipation. Also, not drinking enough water throughout the day may cause the stools to harden, thus causing difficulty while passing them. The fiber content in food adds roughage to the diet and thus, helps in facilitating smooth bowel movements.

3. Psychological problems: Constipation may also be caused due to certain emotional problems and drawbacks, such as certain fears or phobias. An example would be when the child feels the need to go to the toilet at night, but withholds it if he/she has a fear of ghosts. A change in the surroundings such as moving to a new place may also cause bowel problems in your child.

Causes of Constipation in Children

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